Gather around for Yolanda and Percival B. Frank’s annual Christmas radio show! As the live studio audience, you’ll enjoy the on-air magic and get a glimpse at the lessons being learned behind the scenes. Filled with classic Christmas music and stories, this charming and nostalgic show is sure to warm your heart this holiday season!
Meet the cast of CHRISTMAS ON THE AIR below!
Laurie Empen (Yolanda Frank) is excited to make her PROVISION THEATER debut with such a fun cast and crew, after taking a seven year hiatus from the stage. Some of that time away involved earning a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Development (Erikson Institute) and starting her own business, Ms. Laurie’s Play Group http://www.mslauries.org. Other credits include work with Steppenwolf, Remy Bumppo, Porchlight, Apple Tree, Silk Road,and Theatre at the Center. Regionally, she has performed for New American Theater, Festival Theatre, New Court Theatre and TimberLake Playhouse. Enjoy!
Veronica Garza (Sylvia White) is so excited to be a part of Provision Theater for the holiday season. Some of her favorite Chicago theatre credits include: Theatre at the Center, American Blues Theater, Circle Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Fox Valley Repertory and Quest Theatre Ensemble. She would like to thank her amazing parents for their constant love and support. Veronica could not imagine a life in the arts without the guidance of her mom and dad. Merry Christmas everyone!
Tom McElroy* (Percival B. Frank) is very pleased to have his Provision Theater debut. In Chicago Tom has performed with Chicago Shakespeare (Montague and Capulet in Romeo & Juliet), Timeline Theatre (William Crocker in The Farnsworth Invention– Jeff Award), Marcus Hubbard in Another Part Of The Forest at Eclipse Theatre (Jeff Award) as well as The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Next, Red Twist, A Red Orchid, and many more. Regional credits include Van Helsing in Dracula (IRT and The Geva) and most recently Frank in Weekend Comedy (New Theater Restaurant and The Alhambra). Film includes The Dark Knight, What If…, Contagion and many independent features, shorts, and industrials. On Television, Early Edition, Prison Break, The Chicago Code, and Chicago Fire. Tom voiced Rayford Steele in the Left Behind Dramatic Audio Series (144 episodes) and multiple characters in The Twilight Zone, The New Adventures Of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer and Unshackled radio dramas. Tom is a proud member of Actor’s Equity.
Jordan Taylor (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be making his on-stage debut with Provision Theatre! Chicago credits include The Broadway workshop Kennedy (Joe Jr.), Legally Blonde (Emmett), Spamalot (Ensemble), Big Fish (Don Price), Zombie Prom (Joey), Godspell (John the Baptist), Leaving Iowa (Don), The Allen Young Show (Allen Young), Singing in the Rain (Ensemble), and most recently Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom). You may also see him regularly in his very own cabaret at Davenports Piano Bar. Jordan would like to thank the entire production team including Tim for this opportunity. Love to his mom and dad. This one is for grandma.
Elizabeth Telford (Kitty McNally) Elizabeth is thrilled to join Provision Theatre for this production of Christmas on the Air. A Georgia native, she earned her BFA in musical theatre from Shorter University in Rome, GA. Since then, she has worked regionally with such theatres as the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Skylight Music Theatre, and First Stage Theatre, and in Chicago with the Music Theatre Company, Porchlight Music Theatre, Boho Theatre, and the Marriott Theatre.
Patrick Tierney (Danny “the Kid” Frank) is thrilled to be working with Provision for the first time, especially at this time of year. Previous Chicago-area credits include: Beverly Hillbillies: The Musical, Spelling Bee, A Christmas Carol (Theatre at the Center), Oliver! (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Hello, Dolly!, Camelot (Light Opera Works), and many a fairy tale with Chicago Kids Company. Next up: Les Mis (Paramount Theatre). A Southwest Side of Chicago native, Patrick holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Western Illinois University. Many thanks to Kyle and Tim for this opportunity!
Anne Marie Lewis (Yolanda Frank Understudy) Pittsburgh native Anne Marie Lewis, thrilled to be working with Provision Theater, has called Chicago home since earning a Master of Music in Voice Performance from Northwestern University. Vocal performances: Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Chicago Opera Theatre, Boise Philharmonic, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Arkansas, Richmond, Sheboygan, Battle Creek, La Crosse and Ann Arbor Symphonies. Theatre work: Chamber Opera Chicago (Persuasion, The Sound of Music, Pride and Prejudice), Light Opera Works (Red Mill, One Night in Venice), Fury Theatre (Merry Wives of Windsor), Remy Bumppo (Northanger Abbey), Three Cat Productions (Netta at Ninety) and The Auction House (Marriage).
Jonathon Reichart (Danny “the Kid” Fank/Stage Manager Understudy) is thrilled to be working with Provision Theatre for the first time. Jonathon is a recent graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University with his BFA in Acting. Recently, he has performed in Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s Merry Wives of Windsor(John) and Seussical(Wickersham u/s). All the thanks and love to MKDK.
Ann Marie White (Kitty McNally/Sylvia White Understudy) is delighted to join the cast and crew of Christmas on the Air for her first production at Provision. This fall, Ann Marie’s Chicago performances included Lily Bart in The House of Mirth at Stage 773 and Nellie in The Scarlet Sisters Everleigh. Her compositions were featured in The Agency’s At the Center and Transcendent’s Something Wicked. Ann Marie’s favorite projects from 2013 include the title role in Astor Piazzola’s tango opera Maria de Buenos Aires, and the premiere of Janice Hamer’s The Lost Childhood with the National Philharmonic. Learn more at annmariewhitesoprano.com.
*Member of Actors’ Equity
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